Tuesday, December 5, 2017

"The Ministry of Health will be implementing compensation for live organ donors from 5 December. People who donate a live organ will be fully recompensed for lost earnings for up to 12 weeks while they recover. This will be paid weekly following the donation surgery. In the past donors received some assistance in the form of a benefit for this.

‘Loss of income can put people off donating an organ,’ says Clare Perry, Group Manager Integrated Service Design at the Ministry of Health. ‘Removing financial barriers can be a big help in deciding to go-ahead with what is often a life-saving donation.

‘With most live organ donations being made to family members or friends, not having to worry about lost income makes things easier during a time that is already stressful.

‘Most people who donate an organ take between 10 days and six weeks to recover, but if the hospital specialist says you need longer the Ministry of Health will pay your lost earnings for up to 12 weeks so money is less of an issue over this time.

...
‘Travel and accommodation assistance is also available for people who may need to travel to have specialist medical tests associated with their organ donation surgery.’

...

"Additional information
· Between 2012 and 2016 there were 340 live kidney donations. [Source: Organ Donation New Zealand 2016 Annual Report]
· This number has increased each year and was 82 in 2016. [Source: Organ Donation New Zealand 2016 Annual Report]
· Over the same time period (between 2012 and 2016) there were 17 partial live liver donations. [Source: Organ Donation New Zealand 2016 Annual Report]
· 15 of these partial live liver donations were made to children. [Source: Organ Donation New Zealand 2016 Annual Report]
· Between 2011 and 2015, 151 kidney donations were made to blood relatives, with 165 to partners, in-laws, friends and others not directly related to the recipient. [Source: Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry 39th Annual Report]
· In 2015 there were 2674 New Zealanders on dialysis. [Source: Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry 39th Annual Report]"